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Practical Fire/Arson Scene Search and
Evidence Recovery
Length of Seminar:
2 Days
Instructor: Steve
Riggs
Course Overview:
The scene of any fire itself is evidence, and the
testimony of a trained Fire Investigator, Law Enforcement
Officer, D.A. Prosecutor, Insurance Investigator, or Private
Investigator concerning observation and findings at an unchanged
fire scene is vitally important to the successful clearance
of the case. Improper protection of the fire scene will
usually result in the contamination, loss, or unnecessary
movement of physical evidence.
The First Law Enforcement Officer or Firefighter
to arrive at the scene of the fire automatically incurs
the serious and critical responsibility of securing the
fire scene and must take precautions to protect its remains
unchanged. Physical Evidence in and about the fire scene
is highly fragile in the sense that the elements, time,
inadvertent movement, improper handling and packaging, and
numerous other influences can reduce or destroy its evidentiary
value. The Legal and Scientific Standards concerning the
collection and processing of physical evidence are rigid.
Thus, mistakes can easily be made in processing the crime
scene; however, the more important fact is that mistakes
can be easily avoided if sound procedures are followed.
The proper means of processing a fire scene,
photographing, marking, tagging and packaging evidence and
transporting it requires specialized training. However,
this is of a nature that is within every investigators ability
to acquire. What is required, in addition to procedural
knowledge is an appreciation of what could potentially be
evidence, and what types of information the investigator
might obtain from different physical material.
A competent search of a fire scene demands
an understanding of basic procedures, and appreciation of
the “Why” of certain actions, and close attention
to detail in carrying them out.
This training deals with the considerations,
guidelines, and procedures that will help avoid an oversight,
insure thoroughness of the search, and to comply with both
legal and scientific requirements that always bear on the
use of physical evidence.
The Purpose Of This
Course:
The purpose of this course of training is to provide Fire
Investigators, Law Enforcement Officers, Insurance Investigators,
and D.A. Prosecutors with an in-depth course on Fire Scene
Investigation and Evidence Collection Procedures.
Note:
A portion of this class involves hands-on activities. Time
will actually be devoted to the identifying, marking, collecting,
and packaging evidence. The use of different containers
will be involved, as well as, the use of collection tools,
the cleaning of these tools, as not to contaminate the evidence.
Tactics, Techniques and Procedures used in
Processing the Fire/Arson Crime Scene and Collection of
Evidence.
- Securing and Protecting The Scene
- Search Warrants
- Processing The Fire Scene
- Evidence Collection Methods
- Documenting The Fire Scene
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